By Bon Peters
The Nigeria Customs Service, Area 1 Command Port Harcourt says it generated the total sum of One Hundred and Sixteen Billion, Five Hundred Million, nine Hundred and Thirty Thousand, nine Hundred and Fifty Eight Naira and Eighty Four Kobo. (₦116,500,930,958.84), as revenue collected in the year 2023.
This disclosure was made by the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mustapha Hashim in a press statement issued, signed and made available to our correspondent by the Customs Public Relations Officer of the Command, Superintendent of Customs Oscar Ivara in Port Harcourt the Rivers State capital Wednesday.
In the statement, Mustapha Hashim disclosed that the revenue, when compared with that of 2022, which stood at Ninety Two Billion, Three Hundred and Twenty Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Eleven Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifteen Naira and Forty kobo (₦92,329,811,715.40), attracted a significant difference of twenty four Billion, One Hundred and Seventy One Million, One Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Two hundred and Forty Three Naira (₦24,171,119,243). According to him, the difference in the collections represented a 26 per cent increase in revenue generation for the year under review.
Speaking further, the Area controller noted that the Command had considerably fared well in the Area of Revenue generation, despite some daunting challenges in the Maritime sector of the economy even as he revealed that during the period under review, the Command had experienced its lowest influx of container cargoes into the Port, due to higher freight charges imposed by the shipping company on importers.
Continuing, he stated that the duties collected from Bulk Cargoes and Excise factories contributed to the amount of revenue collected in the Command.
However, he noted that significant milestones were achieved in the revenue generation for the months of October which stood at ₦13.301 Billion, November which stood at ₦12.879 Billion and December which was ₦12.288 as against ₦8.986 Billion and ₦6.028 Billion and ₦5.450 Billion collected in the previous year respectively.
He reiterated that those feats “could not have been achieved without painstakingly engaging with our critical stakeholders through several forms of sensitization programs and other forms of training particularly on issues of Non-conformity with statutory clearance procedures.”
Insisting that ” the feedback we got can be attributed to some of our successes.”
Hashim went further to posit that the Command also insisted that all unpaid assessments must be paid.
On Export, the Area Controller noted that 30,000mt of Charcoal, and 26,000mt of Zinc and Lead had been facilitated through the Ibeto Wharf and it is strongly believed that with the full take-off of the Ibeto Wharf, the Command would sustain a good import and export hub, as well as a sustainable revenue base.
“I am very optimistic that with the Command’s strategy of maximizing the collection of Customs duties, other levies, and payment of all unpaid assessments, the Command will surpass the revenue collected in 2023.”Hashim said.
Speaking further, he asserted” under my administration, the Command organized interactive sessions with all the Government agencies operating in the port with the aim of fostering inter-agency collaborations and synergy. These interactive sessions were extended to Customs licensed Agents through sensitization programs.
The corporation, support and brilliant contributions received from members of my management team had been very pivotal to our successes recorded, especially in the areas of capacity building, value addition and revenue generation.”
“We cannot thank the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR and his management team enough for their timely support and encouragement towards the achievements of these successes.”
“My special appreciation goes to the stakeholders operating in Area 1 Port,. particularly the Port Manager, Heads of Government Agencies, leadership of ANALCA and NAGAFF, members of the Press, among others. Your support and encouragement throughout my stay in this Port are immeasurable.”